


Going

by titaniumsansa



Series: A Softer World [16]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: A softer world - Freeform, Batdad, F/F, Five Year Gap, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Inspired By A Softer World, Love, Mentor/Protégé, Mentor/Sidekick, Mentors, Minor BatCat, Not Canon Compliant, Oneshot, Other, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Relationship Advice, as always I am late on fic weeks sorry, snaibselweek2018, summeryjweek2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 17:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15514968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniumsansa/pseuds/titaniumsansa
Summary: Artemis and Bruce talk about life and catch some bad guys, set in the five year gap. Based off a Softer World prompt. Snaibsel. All oneshots in the series are unrelated, can be read without reading others.





	Going

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunkelles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/gifts).



> I love this prompt and I wanted to write about the potential of Bruce being Artemis's mentor like unofficially because I love it. This is loosely based on this prompt: "I cannot see where I want to go, only that I want the going. (Not every verb has to be transitive.)"  
> I'm counting this as Day 2 for summeryjweek2018 which is Mentors/Mentees, and Day 4 which is S3/the five year gap.   
> I watched a little over 3 seasons of Batman the Animated Series in a week so this came out, and that's the version of Selina I used for this.   
> For Sunkelles, sorry I spoiled Mamma Mia 2 for you!

It's rare to be alone with Batman for more than a few minutes when she's patrolling in Gotham. Usually, Dick or Barbara joins him, but there are some nights she gets to be the mysterious batgirl in black and green. There are times she just wants to patrol in Gotham as herself, but it's still seen as bat territory, not Green Arrow's. It'd draw attention if she patrolled too often as Artemis, people might figure out she actually lives in Gotham.   
As much as she loves Ollie, there's always something about patrolling with Bruce that makes her feel better. When she first started, she never would have thought that she'd see Batman regularly, let alone that she'd know his secret identity. Gotham always has something to do. It's always so odd to see him as Bruce compared to how he is as Batman. The differences between Ollie and Bruce are stark sometimes. Though she knows they both fight without superpowers and there are quite a few similarities she could rattle off. There's so much she can learn from any member of the League, but she loves learning from Bruce.

  
Gotham is home territory and it's much easier to hunt for criminals in streets she knows like the back of her hand. Even before she became a part-time vigilante, she was never worried about being on the wrong side of town or the wrong place at the wrong time. There are a few rare times where having a criminal and an ex-criminal as her parents comes in handy. When she was younger, Artemis loved knowing she could take out anyone who tried to do anything. In Gotham, it's always better to be safe than sorry, memories flash behind her eyelids of a few times training came in handy.  
"It seems like it's always easier to get ahold of you at night," Artemis tells him and he laughs.  
"I try to make time for my kids," Bruce tells her and she grins. She's seen Bruce much more often than she's seen Sportsmaster in the last few years. Barbara's not his kid either, but she knows he thinks of his sidekicks like that. It's nice to have a father figure. There was a time where she hated the thought of having a father figure of any kind. Bruce is so much better than Sportsmaster and she thinks of the differences as she follows him off the roof.  
There's always a criminal in some dark alley in Gotham, and they're chasing one now, that's just standard.

  
"Have you been thinking about what you want to do after high school?" Bruce asks, in his normal voice. He's probably talked to her mom in the last week then, if he's asking that. Her mom's been leaving college applications all over their apartment. Not that they don't have space for that since they moved into a much nicer apartment built with wheelchair users in mind. It's been so much easier on her mom and she's made some friends with some of the other ladies in the building, but she's sure he already knows that. He helped make that happen though and they're grateful for that.  
"It's so weird to hear your Bruce voice come out of the cowl," Artemis deflects instead.  
"Have you?" He presses as they keep tailing the mob boss in front of them.  
"I don't know where I want to go. I just know I want to go," Artemis admits. Bruce stops the car and they give chase for a few minutes. Some of this is so natural that she doesn't even think about it, running and cuffing the guy they're after.

  
"It's okay to not know where you want to go. You still have a lot of time," Bruce assures her after they drop the mobster off to the right station.  
"I just feel unsure about so many things. I don't have any of the answers. I don't know what I want to do, I just know I want to get out and see things without a mask. It's fun to do stuff with the Team, but it's not like we get to be tourists, and I want to explore," Artemis tells him.  
They end up on a roof again. She checks her utility belt for new gadgets as she asks about Alfred. She knows how Dick and Barbara are doing, she sees them every day. Cars rush by on the streets below, despite the late hour. It's a Friday so Bruce isn't on her case about school and sleep.  
"He's doing well," Bruce tells her.  
"How's Selina?" she wonders, carefully.  
"She's doing well, she had an animal rights charity event tonight, she wanted me to tell you she says hi," Bruce remembers. A genuine smile spreads on Artemis's face at that, she loves Selina. It was hard to understand how she and Bruce became a couple at first. She's seen them together though, and they work together seamlessly and flirt like crazy. It almost makes her wonder if they're ever going to get married, they're dating as Bruce and Selina too. They make each other happy and they deserve to be happy and Artemis thinks about that for a moment.  
"Is she the one?" Artemis asks. She's trying not to press but maybe Bruce can help her with a few of her problems tonight. Bruce turns his head to look at her and she meets his gaze head-on.  
It's not defiance, she just knows Bruce wants eye contact when she asks questions like that. Sometimes he can be taciturn when they patrol and she gets that, it's easy to do some of this on autopilot.  
"She is. I don't think I need to tell you that should not be repeated," Batman gives her his serious Bruce face. He has a million serious faces, but she knows he means it. Maybe he'll ask Selina to marry him someday in some extravagant but entirely Bruce fashion.

  
"How did you know? How did you know you wanted to date her and that she's the one for you?" Artemis knows she's pushing it a little. To her surprise, Bruce tilts his head and begins to answer her question.  
"Before you begin a relationship you should know what you want to get from it. Love isn't about being someone else's half or completing someone. You're a team and be able to work on your relationship and also be with someone who makes you happy. A healthy relationship should be an open conversation. There isn't a single person out there that's just destined for you. Life is full of people to date and love and most people don't find one person and stay with them their entire life. There will be breakups and new beginnings and uncertainty. That's what gives life variety. I'm sure you've seen how many people I've dated," Bruce muses and she nods. She almost asks how many of those dates were fake or to keep up the playboy bachelor persona he had.  
"But was there a moment or something that made you realize you were interested in her?" Artemis asks, shifting her weight from one foot to another.  
"I was on a date with someone else and I was thinking about Selina instead of the woman in front of me. And it just grew from there. I always knew Selina was special, though. We compliment each other and we're partners. I didn't think I would find someone who would want to be with me in both parts of life. In light and shadows. I trust her with my life and I know she trusts me with hers. We've had to work at our relationship, especially because of how we met, but every couple works on their relationship. I wouldn't trade it for anything," Bruce divulges.

Artemis prepares herself for the slew of questions Bruce is going to throw her way as she follows him to another rooftop. It took hours of practice with a grappling hook in the Batcave before she was allowed to have one in her utility belt, Bruce made her do it over and over again. She can picture it like it was yesterday, there are so many gadgets for the bats that could kill them if not used correctly. Still, she follows him to the Wayne International Plaza building. It's one of the tallest buildings in Gotham, and she's fairly sure he made the roof was designed with him in mind.  
"I have a crush on someone on the Team and I've been trying to figure out how to approach the whole thing," Artemis admits. Bruce doesn't say anything, just watches the city below with her.  
"I'm not an expert on love," Bruce reminds her. He looks like the brooding bat the city believes in and rallies behind and Artemis rolls her eyes.  
"I know, but you are an expert on getting a date," Artemis hints.  
"Is it Wally?" Bruce inquires in a neutral voice. She's pretty sure her shriek of laughter is so loud that it startles some alleycats on the ground below.  
"No, I mean, Wally's great, but no way. It's Zatanna," Artemis can feel herself smile as she says her name.  
"It's like, I could spend forever trying to get to know her and I'd still want to know more. She's so easy to talk to and I don't want to ever stop knowing her. And I think it might be more than a crush now that I'm saying this out loud," Artemis confesses. She can blame all of the truth on the night and how it's like spilling her guts in a car, but really, she just knows she trusts him. It all comes down to trust.   
Bruce looks at his Batman phone and then to Artemis.  
"It's getting late, but I'll give you some advice before we go back to the Batcave and Alfred drives you home," Bruce promises.

Artemis finds herself grinning again, it's been a good night.  
She'll figure out college, her future, and her love life eventually, but she knows she doesn't have to do it alone.


End file.
